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Will India's loss be Pakistan's gain? Well, one is not yet sure if that is true but it could end up being the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) gain. The PCB is now making a serious pitch for the Champions Trophy that is expected to be taken away from India on tax-related issues.

With no indications of obtaining tax waivers for the global tournaments, particularly for the Champions Trophy in 2021— more on the format later — the International Cricket Council (ICC) is looking to host the event in the same time zone as India's and the PCB is trying to make most of the vacuum.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is currently in no position to commit to the ICC about obtaining the tax exemptions and the world body is now seriously thinking of exploring other avenues, rather other venues. As is well known now, the ICC has not managed to obtain the required waivers for the 2016 World Twenty20 despite serious efforts from its officials. ICC Chief Executive Dave Richardson and its general manager Campbell Jamieson met Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in Delhi six months back but the meeting, evidently, has not cut much ice.

May host in UAE

When approached for confirmation, the PCB leadership did not offer a comment but those in the direct knowledge of the ICC thinking say the PCB offer will be considered seriously. Where the matches will be held is an important issue as Pakistan still is a no-go zone for the world teams but one is talking of an event that is more than three years away. The PCB, one understands, will have the option of hosting the allotted games in the United Arab Emirates - as it has been doing for the last nine years -- and it could push for a few Pakistan games in Lahore.

Tax exemption is not a problem in the UAE but if the matches were to be played in Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, who should be considered as hosts - Pakistan or UAE? The ICC has not yet gone into such technicalities but is looking at alternatives away from India. It will finalise on this in the next few months and the PCB offer is very much under consideration.

Finally one more point: If the ICC moves the Champions Trophy away from India, the decision could impact on the 2023 World Cup, which is also allotted to India.

50-50 or T20?

Now for the format. The ICC is still treating it as Champions Trophy in 2021 but behind the scenes, options are being explored if the tournament can be converted from the 50-over event to a Twenty20 championship. The reason behind the mooted move is monitory.

The ICC, which had agreed to increase the BCCI's share by $ 115 million ($ 405 million in total), is looking at resources to get the extra bucks. It had also committed 40 million each to new full members Ireland and Afghanistan and the current flow of revenue is apparently not adding up to the required number. One way to increase the revenue flow is by converting the Champions Trophy into a World Twenty20 which could boost the cash flow.

The value of a global Twenty20 tournament is almost double the value of the 50-over Champions Trophy. Should that happen, then the tournament will be held in 2022, not in 2021, as there is a World Twenty20 tournament in 2020, in Australia.

I remember how the Sri Lankan and Bangladesh Cricket board screwed the PCB back then in 2010-11 when the ICC made a decision to take away all the games away from Pakistan. The Sri Lankans and Bangladeshi's instead of siding with the PCB, lobbied very hard to get the game number of games taken away from Pakistan to be played in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh instead.

The funny thing is a few months later when the Sri Lankans ran into massive debt and went to the BCCI with a massive begging bowl for help, they had the nerve to blame the last minute burden of hosting Pakistan's games in Sri Lanka for their problems.

The PSL was once a high ambition as well, every high achievement starts with high ambition

Notwithstanding my admiration for the high ambition, establishing a T20 league was always imminent, but it was delayed by a good 3-4 years due to incompetent management. It needed a man of action like Sethi to get the ball rolling.

Unfortunately, hosting an ICC tournament as early as 2021 is not analogous to the formation of the PSL.

Notwithstanding my admiration for the high ambition, establishing a T20 league was always imminent, but it was delayed by a good 3-4 years due to incompetent management. It needed a man of action like Sethi to get the ball rolling.

Unfortunately, hosting an ICC tournament as early as 2021 is not analogous to the formation of the PSL.

I have full faith that a man of Najam Sethi's acuman, charisma can get it done if allowed to be PCB chairman till then. He hasn't failed on any front as of now.

They can have ambitions for an icc tournament in 2030 in Pakistan, but even then those ambitions don't seem fruitful. I expect it'll be between 2040 to 2050 by the time it would seriously be considered, if ever that is.

I have full faith that a man of Najam Sethi's acuman, charisma can get it done if allowed to be PCB chairman till then. He hasn't failed on any front as of now.

I am afraid he is biting more than he can chew, but I do believe that he is the key to bringing cricket back to Pakistan. A lot of progress has been made in his tenure, and the image of Pakistan cricket has improved thanks to him.

Nothing is permanent in life, which is why patience is a virtue. Pakistan will host tournaments in the future, but that will only happen once teams like Australia, England, South Africa, India (subject to political constraints of course) tour Pakistan for a full series and play in multiple venues.

Before that happens, we need teams like Sri Lanka, West Indies and Bangladesh to play a full series in multiple venues. I think the annual affair of sneaking a T20 series in Lahore over the course of three days has reached its saturation point.

It is not going to benefit us anymore; we need to host an ODI series now, and perhaps a Test as well. The goal should be that by 2020, we convince Sri Lanka, Bangladesh or West Indies to make a full tour.

Eventually there would need to be a full tour to pakistan, however there is so much risk involved, everyone's always going to be scared there's going to be another attack. There will be an abundance of security, as if players have come to take part in war. And if any sort of thing did happen again, that's probably the last tour we see in pakistan in our life span. It's going to take a very long time for benefits to outweigh the risks.

These are all reports, and something which we arent even sure if true and not even a single official word about it and then i see a headline in one news website "Pakistan look to defend CT at home" and literally when i opened it, it was garbage of an article.

We will never surrender. We win or we die. And don't think it stops there. You will have the next generation to fight; and after the next, the next.OMAR MUKHTAR

Wishful thinking. Modi is anti Pakistan and wont change his stance not when elections are around the corner

that is the reason for saying after elections in brackets.. He traveled to Pak impromptu in the beginning of his term. If anybody can thaw the ice between the two countries it would be Modi as his motives will not be questioned much. It won't happen before elections

....... Though, I don't wish it to happen - last time PCB brought one team to prove credibility, it stopped Int. cricket in PAK for 7 years & still mostly counting. CT consists of 7 other teams ....

Wrong, we know deep down where your wishes lie, Secondly the PCB since then has bought Zimbabwe, has hosted the PSL final, has bought the World Eleven players and has brought the SL players in Pakistan. So that is a lot of teams for credibility.

Wrong, we know deep down where your wishes lie, Secondly the PCB since then has bought Zimbabwe, has hosted the PSL final, has bought the World Eleven players and has brought the SL players in Pakistan. So that is a lot of teams for credibility.

Don't use "we" here - that's foolish, you can talk about your personal opinion, which hardly disturbs my sleep. I don't want to tag other posters to expose you here.

Regarding credibility, as I said many times - it's like a flake of birds; everyone flies with 1st cracker, but comes back one by one. Regarding credibility - what Eleven, PCB can bring whole world; it has a ZERO value in terms of establishing credibility, unless IND, UK & AUS decides to send their team.

Don't use "we" here - that's foolish, you can talk about your personal opinion, which hardly disturbs my sleep. I don't want to tag other posters to expose you here.

Regarding credibility, as I said many times - it's like a flake of birds; everyone flies with 1st cracker, but comes back one by one. Regarding credibility - what Eleven, PCB can bring whole world; it has a ZERO value in terms of establishing credibility, unless IND, UK & AUS decides to send their team.

You are welcome to feel lots of confidence believing otherwise.

Bringing other countries apart from India, UK and Australia will be a good start and is a step in the right direction and will expose the shallow excuses why the likes of UK, Australia and India are not touring Pakistan.

Bringing other countries apart from India, UK and Australia will be a good start and is a step in the right direction and will expose the shallow excuses why the likes of UK, Australia and India are not touring Pakistan.

Good, this time you didn't predict what is in my mind. Do you think without IND, AUS, ENG - it'll or should remain an ICC Champions' Trophy?

PCB is run by either too clever or too dumb people - but one thing for sure, they do think most PAK fans are simpleton dumb; otherwise only idiots will try to sell such story to mass market.

And, they will be day dreaming if they believe that those Emirates will allow them to use their 3 mud beds for an ICC event with hosting rights to PCB, when they can arrange it themselves and keep the entire hosting money in their pocket. Next time, tell Nazam Sethi to sell more believable story.

If indeed CT is shifted from IND, it'll be hosted by BD or co hosted by BD-SRL (2 groups in 2 countries, SF at Colombo & Mirpur, Final at Mirpur)- you can mark this post.

Relax brothers MMHS is human he is bound to make some wrong predictions. Please cut him some slack as he makes more valid points then not and he has much more knowledge about our cricket then most of our posters here, the amount of effort he puts in most of his posts regarding pak cricket he dont put anywhere near as much effort in to posts regarding Bangla, beleive me I know a Pak well wisher when I see one or in this case read one lol

Anyhows back on topic it's obviously highy unlikely cricket will FULLY (top sides touring) return to Pak in the couple years let alone hosting ICC event, MMHS is very realistic as we are optimistic.

Relax brothers MMHS is human he is bound to make some wrong predictions. Please cut him some slack as he makes more valid points then not and he has much more knowledge about our cricket then most of our posters here, the amount of effort he puts in most of his posts regarding pak cricket he dont put anywhere near as much effort in to posts regarding Bangla, beleive me I know a Pak well wisher when I see one or in this case read one lol

Anyhows back on topic it's obviously highy unlikely cricket will FULLY (top sides touring) return to Pak in the couple years let alone hosting ICC event, MMHS is very realistic as we are optimistic.

Looks like mere shaks shahi nikla - that "we" was foolish.

Anyway, back to topic - here, people around PCB knows better than anyone what I have written. In fact, it's more realistic to solve issues and host in PAK, may be in 2025 than hosting in a 3rd country when that country itself can host and earns million. It's an ICC event - initially it was hosted by BD & Kenya, without local participation;it can be hosted by UAE, even Canada or Ireland - why call PCB and give them almost entire media rights?

And, this game of tricking people is not new - I can tell you what was the dialog between Zaka Ashraf & BCB ...... landing in PAK, he sold double rummy and still some posters here believe BCB back-stabbed

Relax brothers MMHS is human he is bound to make some wrong predictions. Please cut him some slack as he makes more valid points then not and he has much more knowledge about our cricket then most of our posters here, the amount of effort he puts in most of his posts regarding pak cricket he dont put anywhere near as much effort in to posts regarding Bangla, beleive me I know a Pak well wisher when I see one or in this case read one lol

Anyhows back on topic it's obviously highy unlikely cricket will FULLY (top sides touring) return to Pak in the couple years let alone hosting ICC event, MMHS is very realistic as we are optimistic.

By the way, that was never a prediction - even if you take it by word.

First, it's stupid to talk about ranking position, because ICC ranks 12 teams in ODI & I am not like posters here to bring ranking with Kenya.

2nd, as I explained many times - ICC has fixed the WC with 10 teams, till 2023, may be it'll go to 12, 14 even 16 later, BUT it won't ever be a free ride for every team. At one point, like soccer ICC has to come up with regional qualifiers + host & automatic qualifier. Which, roughly I can see is 12 teams, top 6/7 qualifies, + host. rest 4/5 will come from qualifiers and this won't be what is happening now if ICC is to expand the game. Rather it'll be regional qualifier - 2 from Asia, 1 from Oceania, 1 for Europe..... My point was - unless domestic system improves, at one point PAK might have to play qualifiers - which brings AFG, Kenya, Nepal in equation.

By the way, that was never a prediction - even if you take it by word.

First, it's stupid to talk about ranking position, because ICC ranks 12 teams in ODI & I am not like posters here to bring ranking with Kenya.

2nd, as I explained many times - ICC has fixed the WC with 10 teams, till 2023, may be it'll go to 12, 14 even 16 later, BUT it won't ever be a free ride for every team. At one point, like soccer ICC has to come up with regional qualifiers + host & automatic qualifier. Which, roughly I can see is 12 teams, top 6/7 qualifies, + host. rest 4/5 will come from qualifiers and this won't be what is happening now if ICC is to expand the game. Rather it'll be regional qualifier - 2 from Asia, 1 from Oceania, 1 for Europe..... My point was - unless domestic system improves, at one point PAK might have to play qualifiers - which brings AFG, Kenya, Nepal in equation.

Doubt we'll ever go to regional qualifiers for the world cup with so few teams. You run into problems with deciding how many teams from each region with such a small amount of places up for grabs.

PCB won't be getting any ICC tournament in the next 15 years atleast. Indian cricket lobby won't allow that.

If IPL grows the way BCCI is envisioning, India will not be too keen to host WC T20s in India. They won't let go ODI WC so easily, but by the time Pakistan is ready to host the ICC tournaments, India may not be all that excited to host them. It is not like they will go out of their way to avoid hosting, but they won't make a big pitch either. this will take atleast a decade to pan out and Pak will need atleast much time to have any realistic chance of hosting a tournament at home.

Everyone is also forgetting the fact that hosting in India is the most profitable to ICC and thereby to all member countries.. That is the reasons ICC will look at India to host at least one major ICC tournament every decade

It is possible that they could host the tournament in UAE and only the final in Pakistan by 2021 as it would be a huge step forward for Pakistan. A lot can happen between now and 2021 with more and more of PSL being held in Pakistan and time to arrange more intl. tours in Pakistan, an arrangement similar to either last year or this year's PSL (SF and Final in Pakistan) could be possible if India are willing to give up hosting rights which I think is unlikely.

Doubt we'll ever go to regional qualifiers for the world cup with so few teams. You run into problems with deciding how many teams from each region with such a small amount of places up for grabs.

If the game is to expand - it has to go at regional level. Here WC is the apple, which should bring other nations (where a particular sports isn't popular) to improve their infrastructure and focus of developing.

For example take soccer - in 60s, 70s, 80s had there not been regional quota, hardly any African or Asian team would have made the 16/24 team cut and we might not have ever seen the African football; even Asians are catching up.

Soccer might be a global game, but I give one more appropriate example - Field Hockey. Since WC is coming, few days back, I was just going through the rankings - to my surprise, found Argentina as No. 2 in world now ..... same Argentina, which from the tiny space among Soccer, Basketball, Volleyball ... played in World Cup/Olympics only for that South American quota.

Unless, ICC gives a protection to other continents, Cricket will become a South Asian (& may be partial Commonwealth) game. We have to bring USA, Canada and few European, African countries - may be through back door.

Ideally, it should be 16 teams with host + top 6 qualifies directly. Then may be for rest 9 spots, you make 4 Zones - 1. Asia - Oceania (3), Africa (2), Europe (2), America (2). Already Denmark & Netherlands has lost identity, Namibia & Kenya in the process, and unless there is some regional quota, AFG, Nepal, Maldwip, Malaysia, PNG ... Scotland, Ireland will get undue advantage for the proximity of established cricket nations.

A 4 times world champion didn't make 2014 WC, just after 24 years of winning the last title, and this year 4 times soccer WC winner, didn't make it to Russia - hence, I don't think playing in WC is a birth right; one can demand automatic qualification, just because once they were good.

Just to add one country backed by their system won a WC in 1990, then again in 2014 ... ironically another country won a WC in 1990, backed by an unreal individual talent - and it didn't qualify for the 2014 WCs...... take a guess - probably you should realize where the example of AFG, Kenya came from.

Ideally, it should be 16 teams with host + top 6 qualifies directly. Then may be for rest 9 spots, you make 4 Zones - 1. Asia - Oceania (3), Africa (2), Europe (2), America (2). Already Denmark & Netherlands has lost identity, Namibia & Kenya in the process, and unless there is some regional quota, AFG, Nepal, Maldwip, Malaysia, PNG ... Scotland, Ireland will get undue advantage for the proximity of established cricket nations.

Using the latest rankings and world cricket league as a basis for what team you'd expect to qualify if this system was in place you'd end up with a world cup in 2019 of :

England
India
South Africa
New Zeland
Australia
Pakistan
Bangladesh

Sri Lanka
Afghanistan
Hong Kong

Zimbabwe
Kenya

Ireland
Netherlands

West Indies
Canada

Suddenly you'd have teams like Scotland, PNG, Nepal, UAE missing out to inferior teams like Canada simply because of what is essentially a quota for teams from certain regions.

Using the latest rankings and world cricket league as a basis for what team you'd expect to qualify if this system was in place you'd end up with a world cup in 2019 of :

England
India
South Africa
New Zeland
Australia
Pakistan
Bangladesh

Sri Lanka
Afghanistan
Hong Kong

Zimbabwe
Kenya

Ireland
Netherlands

West Indies
Canada

Suddenly you'd have teams like Scotland, PNG, Nepal, UAE missing out to inferior teams like Canada simply because of what is essentially a quota for teams from certain regions.

That was just an example. Such numbers are done based on the rankings and contemporary performance- for example, for UCL, UEFA doesn't allocate 4 Teams from Spain, England & Germany and 2 from Portugal by random numbers.

If Nepal is really that good and Canada that poor, may be instead of 3-2, they can go for 4-1, or combine Africa - America together for 3. Or like soccer, there could be half slot - like 6th team from South America play-offs with Oceania winners.

Bottom line is you have to expand the WC and give emerging teams a better odds to qualify. Do you think, in that hypothetical scenario, Canada over Nepal or Scotland is a bigger injustice than say Italy, Netherlands, Chile, Turkey missing out to Panama, Iran, Japan, Saudi Arab, Tunisia ...?

That was just an example. Such numbers are done based on the rankings and contemporary performance- for example, for UCL, UEFA doesn't allocate 4 Teams from Spain, England & Germany and 2 from Portugal by random numbers.

If Nepal is really that good and Canada that poor, may be instead of 3-2, they can go for 4-1, or combine Africa - America together for 3. Or like soccer, there could be half slot - like 6th team from South America play-offs with Oceania winners.

Bottom line is you have to expand the WC and give emerging teams a better odds to qualify. Do you think, in that hypothetical scenario, Canada over Nepal or Scotland is a bigger injustice than say Italy, Netherlands, Chile, Turkey missing out to Panama, Iran, Japan, Saudi Arab, Tunisia ...?

Yes, expand the World Cup if you want by expanding the amount of teams in the World Cup qualifiers/the amount of teams that progress from them, but don't do it by introducing a system where you can get lucky with a far easier pass into the tournament depending on where in the world your country is.

Yes, expand the World Cup if you want by expanding the amount of teams in the World Cup qualifiers/the amount of teams that progress from them, but don't do it by introducing a system where you can get lucky with a far easier pass into the tournament depending on where in the world your country is.

Don't brag it buddy - I explained your 2nd post, with perfect examples of Italy & Panama and they do that in every other major sports - Rugby, Field Hockey, Basketball, Volleyball....

What you are saying, for that you don't need any qualifier - host + start to pull as many teams you want in WC as per the ranking on the cut off date. This year, that qualifier isn't required either - take 9th & 10th team straight to WC 2019. While, instead of 2 years long qualifier, FIFA can pull top 31 teams from ranking & send to Russia.

Don't brag it buddy - I explained your 2nd post, with perfect examples of Italy & Panama and they do that in every other major sports - Rugby, Field Hockey, Basketball, Volleyball....

What you are saying, for that you don't need any qualifier - host + start to pull as many teams you want in WC as per the ranking on the cut off date. This year, that qualifier isn't required either - take 9th & 10th team straight to WC 2019. While, instead of 2 years long qualifier, FIFA can pull top 31 teams from ranking & send to Russia.

"These other sports sports use qualification methods that increase the factor of luck instead of skill in qualifying for the World Cup in turn decreasing the quality of the tournament therefore we should change our perfectly fine qualification method in order to do the same." I don't get the logic.